Carton closing apparatus



1963 R. w. E. MOSSE EIAL 3,107,469

, cARTbn CLOSING APPARATUS Filed June 15. 1961 5 Sheets-Sheet 1Inventors Ri HARD wl E. Moss: ROBERT PARTRiDGE By A tlomey Oct. 22, 1963w. oss ETAL 3,107,469

CARTON CLOSING APPARATUS 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 15. 1961 InventorsRICHARD w. E@ M 555 ROBERT D. PARTRI'DGE /Q A ttorneys 1963 R. w. E.MOSSE ETAL 3,

cmron CLOSING APPARATUS 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed June 15. 1961 InventorsAttorney;

RICHARD w E MflssE ROBERT D. PARTRiDGE B,

Oct. 22, 1963" R. w. E. MOSSE ETAL 3,107,469

CARTON CLOSING APPARATUS Filed June 15. 1961 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 lnvenfmjsRECHARD w. E. "0555' ROBERT D. PARTRiD9E B i A Home y;

Oct. 22, 1963 R. w. E. MOSSE ETAL 3,107,469

CARTON CLOSING APPARATUS Filed June 15. 1961 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 InventorsRI HARD W. E. M SSE ROBERT D. PARTRiDGE 3 L Attorney United StatesPatent 3,107,469 CARTON CLOSING APPARATUS Richard Wolfgang Emil Mosseand Robert Dennis Partridge, both of London, England, assignors to TheMetal Box Company Limited, London, England, a British company Filed June15, 1961, Ser. No. 117,234 Claims priority, application Great BritainJuly 5, 1960 8 Claims. (Cl. 53-376) This invention relates to cartonclosing apparatus and in particular to a method of and apparatus forsecuring an adhesively coated closure flap to the exterior of a side ofa carton,

It is a main object of the present invention to provide a method of andapparatus for securing an adhesively coated closure flap to the exteriorof a side of a carton when the carton does not possess suificientinherent rigidity to withstand the external sealing pressure necessaryto ensure efiicient bonding of the closure flap to the carton and whenit is not possible to provide a pressure reaction member inside thecarton.

According to the invention there is provided the method of securing anadhesively coated closure flap to the exterior of a side of a carton byapplying suction to the exterior of said side in close proximity withthe flap and constraining said side against inward movement whilecausing engagement of the flap with a sealing element.

Further according to the invention there is provided apparatus forsecuring an adhesively coated closure flap to the exterior of a side ofa carton, comprising sealing means operable to engage and press theclosure flap against the exterior side of the carton, and suction meansarranged to engage the exterior of said side in close proximity with theposition of engagement of the closure flap with said side to constrainsaid side of the carton against inward movement while the ilap isengaged by said sealing means.

If desired the cartons may be movable in spaced relation by a cartonconveyor and a plurality of said suction means be supported in spacedrelation for movement by an auxiliary conveyor in a path parallel withthat along which cartons are moved by the carton conveyor, said suctionmeans being movable at the linear speed of the cartons and arranged toco-operate with successive cartons to constrain the sides thereof duringengagement of the flaps by the sealing means.

In order that the invention may be celarly understood two embodimentsthereof will now be described, by way of example, with reference to theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates one form of carton for closing by apparatus accordingto the invention,

FIG. 2 is an elevation of apparatus according to the invention,

LFIG. 3 is a view looking in the direction of arrow III,

FIG. 2, and

FIG. 4 is a top plan of FIG. 3,

FIG. 5 is an elevation, partly in section, of a modified form of theapparatus shown in FIG. 2,

FIG. 6 is a side view of a part of the apparatus shown in FIG. 5, and

FIG. 7 is a broken top plan of the apparatus.

Like references refer to like or similar parts throughout the drawings.

FIGURE 1 illustrates a carton made of cardboard or similar material tocontain a product, such as a powdered detergent or a granular materialsuch as cornflakes, the nature of which is such that it is necessarythat a headspace be provided within the top of the carton.

The top of the carton 1 is closed by an end flap 2 which is secured inthe closed position thereof by a closure flap "ice 3 which is adhesivelysecured to the exterior of a side of the carton across the widththereof, and by cars 4, only one of which is shown, which are adhesivelysecured to the opposite narrow end walls of the carton. It will beunderstood that sealing pressure to ensure the adherence of the flaps 3and ears 4 must be applied from the exterior of the carton and that itis not possible to apply pressure reaction members to the interior ofthe carton. Usually, the end walls of the carton are of such a narrowwidth that it is possible to apply adequate sealing pressure to the ears4 without the provision of a pressure reaction member but in the case ofthe flap 3 this is engaged with a relatively wide side of the carton inthe region of. the head-space within the carton and it is diflicult toapply an adequate sealing pressure thereto to ensure that the flap 3 issecurely bonded to the side of the carton. The apparatus to be describedbelow is intended primarily for sealing the flap 3 but it will beunderstood that if necessary a similar apparatus may be employed foreifecting the sealing of the ears 4. 7

Referring to FIGS. 2 to 4, cartons to be sealed are movable in spacedrelation by a carton conveyor, indicated by broken lines 5, FIG. 2, ofknown construction and are moved by the conveyor past folding elements,of known form not shown, which cause the end flap 2 to overlie the opentop of the carton, and sealing means, also of known form not shown, arearranged to seal the ears 4 to the narrow sides of the carton. With theend flap 2 folded to the closed position thereof the closure flap 3extends outwards from the carton as indicated in broken lines in FIG. 1and liquid adhesive is applied, in known manner not shown, to theunderside of the flap. Alternatively, if the flap is to be sealed by athermoplastic adhesive pro-applied to the carton blank the thermoplasticadhesive may be subjected to heat to condition it for the sealingoperation.

One run of an endless auxiliary chain conveyor 6 is arranged to be movedin a path parallel with that along which cartons are moved by the cartonconveyor 5 and the auxiliary conveyor supports a plurality ofequi-spaced carriages 7. Each carriage 7 has mounted thereon formovement therewith suction means formed by a rigid hollow member 8having a surface 9 provided with an aperture or a row of perforations1d, IFIG. 2, which extends lengthwise of said surface and whichcommunicate with the interior of the hollow member 8. Flexible tubes 11connect the hollow members 8 with a rotary valve 12, of known form,which is connected by a pipe 13 with a source, not shown, of negativeair pressure.

The flap 3 of a carton is folded into engagement with the side of thecarton by any suitable known means such as a folder belt 14 which has acomponent of movement in the direction of movement of the carton by thecarton conveyor 5, the belt being caused to assume a plough form toeffect down-turning of the closure flap 3 and thereafter to be parallelwith the flap to form with pressure rollers 15, or a rigid bar, sealingmeans which engage the side of the carton, as indicated in \FIG. 2, andcause the flap 3 to be bonded to the side of the carton. The suctionapplied to the side of the carton by the member 8 constrains the side ofthe carton against inward movement during engagement of the flap 3 bythe sealing means 14, 15.

The auxiliary conveyor 6 is driven by a sprocket 16 and chain 17 from amain shaft, not shown, in a manner such that the hollow members 8 aremoved at the linear speed of the cartons to be sealed and co-operatewith successive cartons carried by the carton conveyor 5.

Rotation of the valve 12 is effected by gears 18, 19, 20,

'1 so the surfaces 9 thereof engage the sides of cartons in closeproximity with the down-turned flaps 3 which are to be secured thereto.With the arrangement illustrated in the drawings, a hollow member 8 isengaged iwth a carton at position 8A, FIG. 3, and the valve 12 isarranged at this position to apply to the side of the carton so as todraw the side outwards against the surface 9 of the hollow member andagainst the sealing pressure which is exerted on the flap 3 by the belt14 and pressure rollers 15. As the hollow member approaches position 8Bthe valve outs-off the negative air pressure and the hollow member isdisengaged from the carton. Thus it will be understood that the closureflap 3 is caused to adhere to the side of the carton by pressing theflap against the side of the carton while constraining the side of thecarton against inward movement.

To constrain the chain conveyor against wandering during engagement ofcartons by the members 8 each carriage 7 supports freely rotatablerollers 25 which are engaged by a rigid stationary guide 26, FIG. 2,which acts to constrain the carriage 7 against movement towards the pathof the cartons.

FIGS. to 7 illustrate a modified form of the apparatus described abovewith reference to FIGS. 2 to 4- in wldch the suction means comprisepairs of suction pads 8 instead of the hollow members described above.Except as hereinafter described, the apparatus of FIGS. 5 to 7 issimilar to that of FIGS. 2 to 4. Each pair of suction pads is mounted ona carirage 7 which is supported by an endless auxiliary conveyor formedby two chains 6, 6a. The suction pads 8 are movable axially in bearings27 mounted on the carriage and are guided by rods 28, FIG. 7, carried byone of the bearings and extending into a bracket 29 movablew ith thesuction pad. A spring 30 extends between the bracket 29 and one of thebearings 27 and the bracket carries a cam follower 31 arranged toco-operate with stationary cams 32, 33 which extend lengthwise of thepath of the auxiliary conveyor 6, 6a. The cam 32 urges the sucker padsinto engagement with the carton while the pads are moved along the upperrun of the auxiliary conveyor and the cam 33 retains the suction pads onthe retracted positions thereof while the pads are moved along the lowerrun of the conveyor. The apparatus is driven by a chain 34, FIG. 7, andsprocket 35 from the drive for the carton conveyor 5.

The pads 8 may be connected to the rotary valve either individually orin pairs as desired.

We claim:

1. Apparatus for securing an adhesively coated closure flap to theexterior of a side of a carton, comprising a carton conveyor operable tomove cartons in spaced relation, sealing means operable to engage andpress the closure flaps of cartons carried by the carton conveyoragainst the exterior sides of the cartons, an auxiliary conveyor movablein timed relation with said carton conveyor and in a path parallel withthat along which cartons are moved by the carton conveyor, a pluralityof suction means each connectable with a source of suction and supportedby the auxiliary conveyor for movement therewith at the linear speed ofcartons carried by the carton conveyor and for engagement with exteriorsides of successive cartons carried by the carton conveyor at positionsin close proximity with the positions of enagement of the closure flapswith said sides thereby to constrain the carton sides against inwardmovement while the flaps are engaged by said sealing means, a carriagefor each of said suction means, said carriage being mounted on theauxiliary conveyor, a stationary guide element extending lengthwise ofthe path of the auxiliary conveyor, and elments carried by each saidcarriage and arranged to co-operate with said guide element to constrainthe carriage against movement towards the carton conveyor.

2. Apparatus for securing an adhesively coated closure flap to theexterior of a side of a carton, comprising a d carton conveyor operableto move cartons in spaced relaion, sealing means operable to engage andpress closure flaps of cartons carried by the carton conveyor againstthe exterior sides of the cartons, an auxiliary conveyor movable intimed relation with the carton conveyor and in a path parallel with thatalong which cartons are moved by the carton conveyor, a plurality ofhollow members each connectable with a source of suction and each havinga perforate surface communicating with the interior of the member, acarriage for each of said hollow members, said carriages mounted on theauxiliary conveyor for movement therewith at the linear speed of cartonscarried by the carton conveyor and for engagement with cartons carriedby the carton conveyor at positions in close proximity with thepositions of engagement of the closure flaps with said sides thereby toconstrain the carton sides against inward movement while the flaps areengaged by said sealing means, a stationary guide element extendinglengthwise of the path of the auxiliary conveyor, and elements carriedby each said carriage and arranged to co-operate with said guide elementto constrain the carriage against movement towards the carton conveyor.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2, including a rotary valve operable intimed relation with the carton and auxiliary conveyors and connectedwith said hollow members by flexible tubes, said valve being connectablewith a source of suction and operable to effect connection between suchsource and each of the hollow members in turn for a predeterminedinterval of time.

4. Apparatus for securing an adhesively coated closure flap to theexterior side of a carton, comprising a carton conveyor operable to movecartons in spaced relation, sealing means operable to engage and pressclosure flaps of cartons carried by the carton conveyor against theexterior sides of the cartons, an auxiliary conveyor movable in timedrelation with said carton conveyor and in a path parallel with thatalong which cartons are moved by the carton conveyor, a plurality ofpairs of suction pads connectable with a source of suction, bearings foreach pair of pads supported in spaced relation by said auxiliaryconveyor for movement thereby at the linear speed of the carton conveyorand in a path parallel with that along which cartons are moved by thecarton conveyor and for movement relative thereto into and out ofengagement with the sides of cartons carried by the carton conveyor atpositions in close proximity with the positions of engagement of theclosure flaps with the sides of the cartons thereby to constrain thecarton sides against inward movement while the flaps are engaged by thesealing means, cam followers movable with the suction pads relative tothe auxiliary conveyor, and stationary cams engageable by said camfollowers to control movement of the suction pads relative to theauxiliary conveyor.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4, including a rotary valve operable intimed relation wth the carton and auxiliary conveyors and connected withsaid suction pads by flexible tubes, said valve being connectable with asource of suction and operable to effect connection between such sourceand each pair of suction pads in turn for a predetermined intreval oftime.

6. Apparatus for securing an adhesively coated closure flap to theexterior side of a carton, comprising a carton conveyor operable to movecartons in spaced relation, sealing means operable to engage and pressclosure flaps of cartons carried by the carton conveyor against theexterior sides of the cartons, an auxiliary conveyor movable in timedrelation with said carton conveyor and in a path parallel with thatalong which cartons are moved by the carton conveyor, a plurality apairs of suction pads supported in spaced relation by said auxiliaryconveyor for movement thereby at the linear sped of the carton conveyorand in a path parallel with that along which cartons are moved by thecarton conveyor and for mov ment relative thereto into and out ofengagement with the sides of cartons carried by the carton conveyor atpositions in in close proximity with the positions of engage merit ofthe closure flaps with the sides of the cartons thereby the constrainthe carton sides against inward movement while the flaps are engaged bythe sealing means, a rotary valve operable in timed relation with thecarton and auxiliary conveyors and connected with said suction pads byflexible tubes, said valve being connectable with a source of suctionand operable to effect connection between such source and each pair ofsuction pads in turn for a predetermined interval of time, and actuatingmeans co-operating with the pairs of suction pads to effect saidmovements thereof relative to the auxiliary conveyor.

7. Apparatus for securing an adhesively coated closure flap to theexterior of a side of a carton, comprising a carton, comprising a cartonconveyor operable to move cartons in spaced relation, sealing meansoperable to engage and press the closure flaps of cartons carried by theconveyor against the exterior sides of the cartons, an auxiliaryconveyor movable in time relation with said carton conveyor and in apath parallel with that along which cartons are moved by the cartonconveyor, suction means arranged to engage the exterior of said side inclose proximity with the position of engagement of the closure flap withsaid side to constrain said side of the carton against inward movementWhile the flap is engaged by said sealing means, and a rotary valveoperable in timed re1ation with the carton and auxiliary conveyors andconnected with said suction means by flexible tubes, said valve beingconnectable with a source of suction and operable to efiect connectionbetween such source and each said suction means in turn for apredetermined in- 5 terval of time.

8. Apparatus for securing an adhesively coated closure flap to theexterior of a side of a carton, comprising a carton conveyor operable tomove cartons in spaced relation, sealing means located alongside a partof the path of the carton conveyor and operable to engage and press theclosure flaps of cartons carried by the conveyor against the exteriorsides of the cartons, suction means movable in timed relation with saidconveyor and each operable to engage the exterior of the side of acarton engageable by the closure flap of the carton at a position inclose proximity with said position of engagement, and valve meansconnectable with a source of suction and operable in timed relation withthe conveyor and suction means to connect each suction means with saidsource for a predetermined interval of time While the closure flap of acarton is engaged by the sealing means thereby to constrain the side ofthe carton against inward movement while the closure flap is engaged bythe sealing means.

1. APPARATUS FOR SECURING AN ADHESIVELY COATED CLOSURE FLAP TO THEEXTERIOR OF A SIDE OF A CARTON, COMPRISING A CARTON CONVEYOR OPERABLE TOMOVE CARTONS IN SPACED RELATION, SEALING MEANS OPERABLE TO ENGAGE ANDPRESS THE CLOSURE FLAPS OF CARTONS CARRIED BY THE CARTON CONVEYORAGAINST THE EXTERIOR SIDES OF THE CARTONS, AN AUXILIARY CONVEYOR MOVABLEIN TIMED RELATION WITH SAID CARTON CONVEYOR AND IN A PATH PARALLEL WITHTHAT ALONG WHICH CARTONS ARE MOVED BY THE CARTON CONVEYOR, A PLURALITYOF SUCTION MEANS EACH CONNECTABLE WITH A SOURCE OF SUCTION AND SUPPORTEDBY THE AUXILIARY CONVEYOR FOR MOVEMENT THEREWITH AT THE LINEAR SPEED OFCARTONS CARRIED BY THE CARTON CONVEYOR AND FOR ENGAGEMENT WITH EXTERIORSIDES OF SUCCESSIVE CARTONS CARRIED BY THE CARTON CONVEYOR AT POSITIONSIN CLOSE PROXIMITY WITH THE POSITIONS OF ENGAGEMENT OF THE CLOSURE FLAPSWITH SAID SIDES THEREBY TO CONSTRAIN THE CARTON SIDES AGAINST INWARDMOVEMENT WHILE THE FLAPS ARE ENGAGED BY SAID SEALING MEANS, A CARRIAGEFOR EACH OF SAID SUCTION MEANS, SAID CARRIAGE BEING MOUNTED ON THEAUXILIARY CONVEYOR, A STATIONARY GUIDE ELEMENT EXTENDING LENGTHWISE OFTHE PATH OF THE AUXILIARY CONVEYOR, AND ELEMENTS CARRIED BY EACH SAIDCARRIAGE AND ARRANGED TO CO-OPERATE WITH SAID GUIDE ELEMENT TO CONSTRAINTHE CARRIAGE AGAINST MOVEMENT TOWARDS THE CARTON CONVEYOR.